Descent of Death Eater
by Jada Ryl
Summary: This is my version of how Severus became a Death Eater. Prequal to Slytherin Sacrifice.


Disclaimer:** Haven't I told you dunderheads before?! I don't own **_**anyone**_** from the Harry Potter series! They all belong to J. K. Rowling and I am not she. I mean, honestly, do I look like a blond?!**

**Author's Note:** I know, I know. I should be working on The New Pride. But I already have this written up, so I'll be posting it as I work on the other. If I have any sequences from the book out of order, please feel free to let me know, but nicely.

* * *

It all began in his fifth year at Hogwarts. That beginning was his worst memory. Of course, that was just the beginning of why he hated the Death Eaters. Vile, cruel, despicable dunderheads, the lot of them. Even worse than the Marauders. He knew that beyond the shadow of a doubt now. Not that he had ever respected them, but he had once considered them equal. Both mere bullies who deserved far more than a few lost house points and the occasional detention.

Severus sat on his bed, his nose buried in his book. Just a few more moments and he would have to go to the Great Hall for the DADA written test. Who knew what the Ministry would put on the bloody test.

"Hey, Snape!"

Severus looked up. "What is it, Bellatrix? What are you doing over here?"

She smiled. "You won't tell anyone, surely? Not when I'm a Pureblood while you're only a Halfblood and a blood traitor."

He dropped the book and whipped his wand out. "Don't threaten me," he hissed.

Bellatrix just laughed. "Apparently, I don't have to." She flicked her wand. "Imperio."

Severus' eyes widened. "Bellatrix, do you want to go to Azkaban?" He clenched his fists as he fought the curse. Lily would never forgive him if he gave in. Not considering whatever Bellatrix would make him do.

"And who will accuse me? You? There are no witnesses, Snape. No one has a reason to check my wand for Unforgivables. Besides, I hear you are working on inventing the fourth Unforgivable Curse."

"You must be crazy! I may invent my own spells, but I'd never try to make something that dark!" Severus' stomach twisted at the thought. Even the Sectumsempra was only meant for fighting Death Eaters. Admittedly, it was inherently dangerous, but not all that dark.

"It's not as if I care about your little inventions, Snape." Bellatrix's lip curled slightly. "Just children's toys, really. I'll wait until you start inventing more worthwhile spells and potions. For now, you might as well put your wand away. It's not as if I'd let you hex me until I'm ready to lift the Imperius. If I ever do. And if you ever tell anyone about this, your Mudblood girlfriend will die."

Severus dropped his wand. His blood ran cold. If only he were a basilisk! "You leave Lily out of this," he spat.

Bellatrix laughed manicly. "Actually, she's the reason I really came in here. Whatever else you say to her, call her a Mudblood. Today. The first thing you say to her."

Severus swallowed bile. He would not lose his breakfsat in front of this Death Eater scum. After all, at least she had not ordered him to torture or kill anyone. Only call his only friend the worst name known to the Wizarding World. He'd appologize to Lily. But… she'd never understand and he dared not explain. "And risk destroying the one friendship I have? Are you crazy?" No way would he let her know what he truly felt for Lily. He just couldn't.

"It's not like you have a choice in the matter, Snape. Anyway, it'll give you a chance to make some more appropriate friends. You could have made others."

Severus gagged. "You mean Death Eater wanna-bes and blood freaks like you? Raging psychopaths who want to go around killing anyone sane enough to resist them?"

The seventh year's eyes flashed. "I would not recommend such remarks in your position, Halfblood. It's not healthy."

"Maybe I don't care," Severus challenged. "Some things are more important. I may have been sorted into Slytherin, but that doesn't mean I have to become a bloodsucking Death Eater."

"Perhaps so," Bellatrix mused. "We shall see how true that is. Of course, the Dark Lord will require your skills regardless, such as they are."

Severus clenched his jaw. "We don't get everything we require, Bellatrix. Perhaps your perfect, Pureblood family has pampered you to much for you to discover that yet."

"Well, go on down to the Great Hall, Snape. You won't help yourself or anyone else by not showing up for your O.W.L.s."

Severus picked up his wand from the floor. He walked toward the door and turned back. "Oh, Bellatrix," he said, forcing his voice to sound casual. "Someday the Imperius Curse will fail you and your friends. Someone will eventually learn how to overcome it. And when they do, you'll all be in a fine mess."

"Yes, you're right," she replied sweetly. "And that person will be able to survive the Killling Curse. But that won't be you. What a pity."

Severus turned and left the room. Maybe he wouldn't learn to break the Imperius Curse in time to spare Lily the insult, but he would certainly do his best. If only he dared tell her the truth about what he had to say. But it was better that she hate him than that she die. He could learn to be alone.

He'd put up with these future Death Eaters for five years now. Them and their Pureblood fanaticism. "Bellatrix, you've gone too far this time," he muttered. Maybe he could forge Lestrange's signature and send her some vomit-flavoured Bertie Bot's beans. Severus grinned at that thought. Lily would not complain too loudly about that.

Why did Bellatrix Black care so much that he call Lily a Mudblood? He was only a Halfblood himself. Lily was a Muggleborn. Why did they matter so much that Bellatrix would go so far as to use an unforgivable on him like this? It made no sense at all. Why him? Why Lily? There had to be hundreds of other Muggleborns and Halfbloods here at Hogwarts.

Severus sighed as he trudged up the stairs from the Slytherin Common Room. There was no sense to the actions of these Death Eaters. Only senseless killing, senseless torture, senseless demands. Everything about them, utterly senseless. How much longer until the Aurors defeated Voldemort and this war ended? Was it only two years since that same senselessness had invaded and besieged his life? When would it end? Up 'til now, he had kept it hidden from Lily. Now she was being drawn in, too, and he had no idea how to stop it.

Just then, he entered the Great Hall. He forced the dark musings away. He could not do well on his test and figure these mysteries out. He slipped into a desk toward the back of the room. The test lay face down on the desk.

A petite witch stood and walked onto the dais. "My name is Amelia Nuthatch," she said. "I am sure you will all do well on your O.W.L.s. I expect you simply to do you best. Your tests and quills have been equipped with anti-cheating charms, so don't even bother trying that. We want to know what you know and what you can do, not your classmates. Turn over your tests and write your full name at the top. You may begin."

Severus scanned quickly down the first page. This part was unbelievably simple. 1) Which spell is used to disarm an opponent? A) Protego, B) Expelliarmus, C) Petrificus Totalis, D) Locomotor Mortis, or E) Not shown. He rolled his eyes. He knew the answer to that one as a first year! How many pages of this were there before they brought out the essay questions? He leaned forward and began feverishly circling answers. Finally, he finished the slush of multiple choice and true or false questions.

39) List the precautions to take when beginning a duel. Severus' mind raced. They had become so ingrained that he no longer thought about them. His quill raced across the page, guided by instinct. 52) Describe the identifying marks of a werewolf and the steps to defend yourself against one. That was far too easy. Severus glanced across the room at Lupin. Thanks to Black, he'd nearly had to use this lesson several years ago. Final question. 60) Name 3 indicators that a person may be under the influence of the Imperius Curse. He gasped. Lily's skill in Defence Against the Dark Arts equalled his own. After this question, maybe she'd notice on her own. Especially if he could find a way to make her look for something odd. Hope pulsed through him with each heartbeat. He set the quill down and took a deep breath.

Severus pulled a blank sheet of parchment from his pocket. He knew the spell to identify the contents of an unknown potion. Why hadn't someone invented a spell to identify curses yet? He frowned. Specialis Revelio worked for potions. Hominem Revelio exposed people and usually identified them. Obviously "Revelio" was part of it, but should he use "Incantatem" or "Imprecatus"? "Imprecatus" would only verify curses and, perhaps, jinxes. On the other hand, Incantatem would surely expose every harmless charm and spell along with the dark, the illegal, and the deadly. He grabbed the quill and scribbled the incantation down just as Madam Nuthatch dismissed them.

Severus clutched the parchment as he stood and rushed from the room. He slipped between the other students, trying to find some solitude. He found himself wandering by the lakeside. Severus sat down under a tree and hastily folded the paper. "Morpheo Wingardium," he breathed, pulling out his wand and pointing it at the folded parchment. With a flick of his wand, he sent the winged message fluttering to wherever Lily had gone. He sat down his wand and smiled. There was hope now.

"Hey, Snivillus!" a laughing voice called.

Severus grabbed his wand sprang to his feet. He eyed the four boys warily. Did he really need to face off with the Marauders and a junior Death Eater on the same day? Wasn't an Unforgivable enough?

"Expelliarmus!"

Severus' wand flew out of his hand. He turned to dive for it, but tripped over and impediment jinx. He twisted in the air and landed on his back. At least he could see what they were doing. Far worse to be struck with something he couldn't see coming. Potter flicked his wand and Severus shot through the air. He stifled a growl. The git had used his own spell against him again!

"Don't you ever wash your pants, Snape?" Black sneered up at him. The Pettigrew moron laughed hysterically.

Severus' face burned. "Don't you arrogant, chicken-hearted, Cruciatus-faced windbags have anything better to do than act like brainless shit?" The words streamed from his mouth, even though he knew he'd regret them. "Furnunculus. Rictusempra. Silencio. Tarantallegra. Magandolorus. Neodementus."

"Let him go!" Lily's entered the fight. "What has he done to you?"

Severus closed his mouth and bit his tongue. He would not say that word. Why did she have to come to his aid today? He could survive one day without her! He fell to the ground and winced as he landed on his shoulder.

"It's more that he exists, Lily." Typical Potter.

The Imperius grew stronger, more demanding. Severus began to taste blood as he struggled to keep control over his body. He inched toward his wand. He clutched it and flicked it at Potter angrily as the Imperius Curse finally took over. "I don't need help from a Mudblood," he spat.

The reaction was instantaneous. "Wash your mouth out, Snape. Scourgify!"

"Locomotor Mortis!"

Severus found himself on his back, unable to move and gaging on soapsuds as Lily glared down at him.

"So that's what you think of me?" Her voice sounded like ice. "Then I won't inflict my presence on you any longer." She spun on her heal and stalked away.

He almost cringed as he heard Lily's harsh words. Not that he had much time to take them in. The morons were starting in on him again. He found himself dangling by his ankle again.

"Who wants to see me take Snivelly's pants off?"

If he could have screamed around the soapsuds, he would have disgraced himself. Not that on top of everything else! His life couldn't possibly get any worse.


End file.
